Quarterback

Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has named veteran Matt Cassel as the team’s starting quarterback for the season opener against the St. Louis Rams. Zimmer made the announcement Monday, though it has long been known that Cassel has been the choice over rookie Teddy Bridgewater.

Matt Cassel is itching for preseason playing time as he tries to master the intricacies of new offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s system with the Minnesota Vikings. Carson Palmer knows just how Cassel feels, and the comfort of being in his second year with Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians means the veteran quarterback likely will watch most of the game Saturday night from the sideline.

Christian Ponder’s descent from first-round draft pick to third-string quarterback has been formalized, with the release of the first depth chart of the season by the Minnesota Vikings. After losing the starting job to Matt Cassel last year and watching the team draft Teddy Bridgewater, Ponder entered the final year of his rookie contract in lame-duck mode, realizing the likelihood he’ll soon be playing elsewhere.

Matt Cassel has started the Minnesota Vikings training camp as the starting quarterback. As coach Mike Zimmer said again Friday, prior to the first full practice, that does not mean Cassel will automatically keep the same status for the season opener.

The Minnesota Vikings brought back veteran Matt Cassel back to be the bridge to the quarterback they were bound to draft this year, and they mapped out the future by trading into the end of the first round to pick Teddy Bridgewater. Retaining Cassel on a two-year contract has allowed the Vikings the opportunity to be patient with their latest project, but coach Mike Zimmer made clear this week.

The Vikings weren’t done with the first night of the NFL Draft after taking Anthony Barr, and they knew they needed to a get a quarterback. They traded back into the No. 32 pick, the last of the night, to take athletic Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

The Minnesota Vikings need a young quarterback to ride into the future, and with the eighth overall pick in this draft they’ll have plenty available. For all the headlines generated at the top of the class by Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater, though, the Vikings could find the guy who fits them the best after the first round.

he Minnesota Vikings spent the weekend at the NFL scouting combine poring over quarterbacks, as thoroughly as any other team in the league. They’re among the frustrated few — well, there’s more than a few clubs without a quarterback solution — who badly need this draft to produce a long-term answer at the most important position.

The Minnesota Vikings already had a lot of work to do with their quarterback situation this offseason. The list just got longer. Matt Cassel will void the 2014 option on his contract and become a free agent, a person familiar with his decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

No matter who has the edge Sunday, it seems the nation is rooting for Manning, because it’s been harder for him to win, because he’s not so pretty, because he’s considered one of us, because you get the sense that his aw-shucks, southern refrain is real.

Minnesota quarterback Philip Nelson says he intends to transfer to another school that runs an offense “that centers more around the passing game.” The sophomore made the surprise announcement Thursday when he first released the statement to KFXN-FM in Minneapolis.

When the Minnesota Vikings let head coach Leslie Frazier go, many fans said they’d like to see a more fiery coach on the sidelines. It appears they’re getting their wish. Just down the road from Vikings’ headquarters, the lunch crowd at Joe Senser’s watched Wednesday’s reports with a mix of hope and weariness. “I probably have been disappointed enough times that I’m never that optimistic anymore,” said Vikings fan Matt Johnson.

General manager Rick Spielman says he’s confident the Minnesota Vikings will solve their quarterback problem. But Spielman also acknowledged Monday he has yet to “get it right” in regard to evaluating the position, at a news conference after coach Leslie Frazier was fired.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will return to start Sunday’s game for the NFC North title against the Chicago Bears. Coach Mike McCarthy announced Thursday that Rodgers will be back after missing seven games because of a left collarbone injury.

One of the many standout performers at last week’s Prep Bowl was a running back who became a quarterback, then became a big playmaker. St. Croix Lutheran’s David Ponath is the ASPIRE Athlete of the Week.

Another week has brought another quarterback quandary for the Minnesota Vikings. Matt Cassel played well enough in relief of Christian Ponder to take over the job. Ponder left Sunday’s win over Chicago with a concussion.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will not play against Minnesota on Sunday after hinting earlier in the week he might have a chance. Rodgers needed to be on the field at practice Friday, but he is not yet recovered from a broken collarbone and was ruled out for the game. He has missed the past two games. Green Bay also has four of its seven cornerbacks on an extensive injury report this week.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder says his injured left shoulder is ready to go and he wants to start against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Coach Leslie Frazier says he’ll wait until Saturday before making a decision. Ponder is still recovering from a dislocated left shoulder, but the right-handed quarterback was able to go through practice this week. He says he expects to be ready to go on Sunday. Ponder was injured in the third quarter of the Vikings’ last game against Washington. That was a Thursday night game, though, so he’s had a little extra time to treat the injury and prepare for the Seahawks.

The Holy Angels football team has had their fair share of surprises this season. The Stars went just 3-and-5 on the regular season, lost their starting quarterback before last week’s game against Kasson-Mantorville and then they found a worthy back up who hardly had taken a snap.

The Minnesota Vikings are unsure if Christian Ponder will be healed in time for their next game. Ponder dislocated his non-throwing left shoulder trying to dive for a touchdown at the end of a run late in the third quarter during Minnesota’s victory over Washington on Thursday night.